Wild: Clayton Stoner has teammates' back, and coach likes that

Minnesota defenseman Clayton Stoner, left, lost his helmet as he tries to block a shot by Carolina center Brett Sutter in an Oct. 24 game at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Clayton Stoner (Photo by Andy King/NHLI via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON -- Coach Mike Yeo knows what he's going to get from Clayton Stoner. And that's exactly what he likes about him.

"What he does is he brings an element, something we need, to the lineup," Yeo said. "That's what forces us to put him in the lineup."

At 6 feet 4, 216 pounds, Stoner is the Wild's biggest and most physical defenseman. And since being a healthy scratch in the second game of the season, he's provided consistency for a defensive corps that has struggled with injuries.

With several puck-moving defensemen on the team, Stoner give the Wild a level of physicality they would lack without him.

"We need him on the penalty kill, we need his physical presence, and if he's bringing those things, he's bringing things other guys can't bring," Yeo said.

Yeo was especially pleased with Stoner stuck up for Jason Pominville in Tuesday's 5-1 victory over Calgary. After Tim Jackman cross-checked and slashed Pominville, Stoner dropped the gloves and fought Jackman.

"He didn't hesitate," Yeo said of Stoner. "That's that pack-of-wolves mentality that we've talked about, that we need. Obviously there's a lot of debate going on about fighting right now, but we're going to try to find a way, regardless of how you do it, to be there for each other, and he showed that."